“My main objective in the Statehouse has been to create an environment in Ohio where businesses can grow and thrive so we can help our friends and neighbors get back to work,” said Balderson. “When our local pharmacies came and showed me the costly and burdensome process they have to undergo during audits, I knew we needed to do something to help these family-owned businesses.”

Ohio pharmacies are routinely audited by health plans and insurance companies to check for accuracy and to make certain there has been no fraud, waste, abuse, or clerical errors that may cause accidental overpayments. However, these audits frequently occur with little or no notice to the pharmacy and can be overly burdensome for local, independently owned pharmacies.

“This bill provides fair and uniform oversight for pharmacy audits and ensures this process pinpoints and weeds out actual fraud instead of simply creating unnecessary loopholes without improving the system for Ohioans or our local businesses,” added Balderson.

On average, the cost of per audit to a pharmacy is $2,500 and some Ohio pharmacies indicated that they face 6 of these audits each year.

Senate Bill 258 would make Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) subject to reasonable audit standards by placing guidelines on when and how audits are conducted. These new standards include:

Providing the pharmacy at least 10 days' notice of their intent to audit.

Allowing recoupment only if the errors are substantive and not merely typographical or clerical in nature.

Limiting the practice of extrapolation under most conditions.

Establishing a written appeals process that clearly defines timelines for appealing audit findings.

Resubmitting a disputed claim using commercially reasonable methods.

29 other states have already enacted audit reform measures similar to those in Senate Bill 258. The legislation now proceeds to the Ohio House of Representatives for further consideration.

"I'm honored to join this distinguished group of community leaders as we promote opportunities that help spur job creation here in southern Ohio," said Uecker. "Programs supported by the foundation also play an important role in improving quality of life for families across the region."

“Judy's tragic story highlighted a particularly heinous type of crime, which leads to permanent disfigurement or even death,” said President Obhof, who co-sponsored the bill. “No one should have to suffer through what she experienced over the past two years. This new law will ensure that prison sentences more accurately reflect the severity and cruelty of these types of attacks.”

Back-to-school shopping can be tough on families, as you try to stretch every dollar as far as it can go. Clothing, books, pens, notepads… it all really starts to add up. In the Ohio Senate, we know that Ohio’s families could use some help, and we are committed easing the burdens that government adds to the mix. That is why, for the third year in a row, the General Assembly has passed the Ohio Sales Tax Holiday to assist parents during the back-to-school shopping season.

"It is an honor to recognize Ohio's Dairy Producers for their contributions to the food agricultural industry in this state," said Peterson. "Ice cream is one of the best parts of summer. For this delicious treat, we owe our gratitude to the hard working men and women who rise before daybreak every day to tend to their cows in the milking parlors. Ohio's dairy farmers love the work that they do, and we love that they do it."